Intercontinental Exchange Q3 Earnings Top, Revenues Lag Estimates

Intercontinental Exchange ICE reported third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $1.71, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.6%. The bottom line increased 10.3% on a year-over-year basis.Shares gained 0.2% in the pre-market trading session to reflect the outperformance.Intercontinental delivered solid results in all three segments. The company’s performance reflected the strength of a balanced and diversified business as well as the results of the strategic investments it has made. The quarter witnessed record revenues and operating income.Performance in DetailIntercontinental’s net revenues were a record $2.4 billion, up 2.6% year over year. The top line, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.1%. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Intercontinental Exchange Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Intercontinental Exchange Inc. QuoteTotal operating expenses decreased 0.7% year over year to $1.2 billion. This can be primarily attributed to lower rent and occupancy, and selling, general and administrative expenses. Our estimate was also $1.2 billion. Adjusted operating expenses were $981 million in the quarter, up 2.2% year over year. Our estimate was $981.1 million. Adjusted operating income rose 1.9% year over year to $1.4 billion. Our estimate was also $1.4 billion. Adjusted operating margin remained flat year over year at 59%.Segment DetailsExchanges' net revenues were $1.3 billion, up 1% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was also pegged at $1.3 billion. Adjusted operating income of $924 million was up 2.2% year over year. Our estimate was $972.5 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $986 million. Adjusted operating margin contracted 200 bps year over year to 73%. Our estimate was 74.2%. Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were $618 million, which increased 5% year over year. Our estimate was $616.9 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $612 million.   Adjusted operating income rose 7.2% to $282 million. Our estimate was $260.9 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $258 million. Adjusted operating margin remained flat year over year at 45%. Our estimate was 42.3%.Mortgage Technology revenues increased 4% to $528 million, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Our estimate was $491.2 million. Adjusted operating income was $224 million, which was up 23.6% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at $211 million.  Our estimate was $203.3 million.  Adjusted operating margin expanded 700 bps year over year to 42%. Our estimate was 41.4%.Financial UpdateAs of Sept. 30, 2025, Intercontinental had cash and cash equivalents, including short-term restricted cash and cash equivalents of about $2 billion, up 1% from Dec. 31, 2024. Long-term debt of $17.3 billion inched up from 2024-end. Total equity was $26.7 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025, up 7.2% from 2024-end. Operating cash flow was $3.4 billion, up 9.2% year over year. Adjusted free cash flow was $3.2 billion, up 20.8% year over year.Third-Quarter 2025 GuidanceGAAP operating expenses are expected in the range of $1.225-$1.265 billion. Adjusted operating expenses are projected to be between $1.005 billion and $1.015 billion. Non-operating expense is anticipated to be between $180 million and $185 million. The share count is forecast to be in the range of 569-575 million.Full-Year GuidanceExchanges' recurring revenue growth is now expected to be 5% to 6%.GAAP operating expenses are expected in the range of $4.99-$5 billion. Adjusted operating expenses are projected to be between $3.933 billion and $3.943 billion. The effective tax rate is expected to be 23-25%.Share Buyback and Dividend UpdateICE repurchased $894 million of its common stock and paid $831 million in dividends in the first nine months of 2025.The board of directors approved a dividend of 48 cents per share for the third quarter of 2025. The dividend will be paid out on Dec. 31 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 16.Zacks RankICE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Peer ReleasesNasdaq, Inc. NDAQ reported third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of 88 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.8%. The bottom line improved 18.9% year over year. The improvement was mainly driven by higher revenues across three divisions and organic growth, partially offset by higher expenses. Nasdaq’s net revenues of $1.3 billion increased 15% year over year.Organic net revenue growth was 11%. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.7%. Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) increased 10% year over year to $3 billion. Organic growth was 9%. Annualized SaaS revenues increased 12% and represented 38% of ARR.CME Group Inc. CME reported third-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share of $2.68, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.9%. The bottom line remained unchanged year over year.  CME Group’s revenues of $1.5 billion decreased 2.9% year over year. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to lower clearing and transaction fees and other factors. The top line matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Operating income decreased 5% from the prior-year quarter to $972.6 million. Our estimate was $1 billion.Average daily volume (ADV) was a record 25.3 million contracts, down 10.4% year over year. ADV decreased across Energy, Foreign exchange, Equity indexes, and Interest rates product lines. The total average rate per contract was 70.2 cents.Upcoming ReleaseCboe Global Markets, Inc. CBOE is set to report third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 31, before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter earnings per share is pegged at $2.44, suggesting an increase of 9.9% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.CBOE’s earnings beat estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed in one.Zacks' Research Chief Picks Stock Most Likely to "At Least Double"Our experts have revealed their Top 5 recommendations with money-doubling potential – and Director of Research Sheraz Mian believes one is superior to the others. Of course, all our picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier recommendations like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.See Our Top Stock to Double (Plus 4 Runners Up) >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE): Free Stock Analysis Report CME Group Inc. (CME): Free Stock Analysis Report Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ): Free Stock Analysis Report Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (CBOE): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks